hermetically sealed
Preserved but no longer current.
Closed securely; from sealing a vessel hermetically, i.e. as a chemist, a disciple of Hermes Trismegistus, would, by heating the neck of the vessel till it is soft, and then twisting it till the aperture is closed up.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “hermetically sealed” mean?
Closed securely; from sealing a vessel hermetically, i.e. as a chemist, a disciple of Hermes Trismegistus, would, by heating the neck of the vessel till it is soft, and then twisting it till the aperture is closed up.
Is “hermetically sealed” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.